Berkeley’s Elmwood: Where cool meets quirky

Welcome Stranger in Berkeley is located at 2633 Ashby Ave. (510) 646-8128. www.welcomestranger.com.

Welcome Stranger in Berkeley is located at 2633 Ashby Ave. (510)...

Berkeley’s Elmwood neighborhood may be compact, but its two-block radius of shops, all extending from College and Ashby avenues, is a stronghold of quirky charm. Chalk it up to an almost magical crossroads of new and old — energetic, young UC Berkeley students and freethinking, activist elders; elegant period homes and tasty newcomers like Comal-spinoff the Advocate. You expect nothing less from the village-like neighborhood that provided safe harbor for everyone from Jane Fonda, Eldridge Cleaver and the so-called “last wild Indian” Ishi to Richard Diebenkorn, Thornton Wilder and Pauline Kael, whose 1905 brown-shingle home with its rare, mystical Jess murals went on the market earlier this year.

. Welcome, too, are the stylish comers below.

— Kimberly Chun

Old Yak Bazaar

Tucked into the window-lined space that once housed Global Exchange, successor Old Yak Bazaar specializes in fair-trade-certified handmade jewelry and hand-loomed accessories, whimsical hand-blocked “slow fashion” sundresses and head-turning decor items like journals made from recycled elephant dung. “We believe that each and every product should be connected to the artisan that makes it,” e-mails Wen-Yan King, who started the trading company with a focus on the ethical, sustainable and handmade as an online entity with husband Tenzen Losel. 2840 College Ave. (510) 900-1321. www.oldyakbazaar.com.

More from Home

The nickname for Welcome Stranger’s new Elmwood store might as well be Hello Handsome. The bright space with high ceilings is devoted to essential men’s furnishings inspired by the honesty and integrity of workwear, Look for its namesake S.F. brand and labels like Life/After/Denim, Carhartt, Wings and Horns, Norse Projects and Tanner Goods for everything an impressively, not ostentatiously, well-dressed modern man might desire. That translates to desert boots, hats, duffels and giftables like washable woolen blankets, coffee-table books and a gin-making kit. 2633 Ashby Ave. (510) 646-8128. www.welcomestranger.com.

Trickster

The cartoonists have run riot, with fun-loving results at this combination comic store, gallery and boutique teeming with graphic novels, comics, prints, toys, T-shirts, figurines and more generated by independent makers. There’s a lot to take in at this steampunk-tinged space that started life as a Comic-Con San Diego pop-up founded by Anita Coulter and Pixar artists Scott Morse and Ted Mathot. Now the sole owner, Coulter says she strives to carry only creator-owned work: “We tell artists all the time, ‘Create’ but we don’t tell them what to do with their creations after! So I wanted Trickster to be a showcase for their work.” 2631 A Ashby Ave. (510) 665-8900. www.trickstertrickster.com.

Chocolate is definitely in the house — and feeling right at home amid the flavors of Latin America. Among the offers are guayaba and chipotle caramel-flavored bonbons, pepitas-studded bars, formidable 4-pound Aztec calendar discs and button-cute Mexican hot chocolate calaveras. Owner Amelia Gonzalez sees her sustainable treats as an extension of her work as a longtime KPFA Radio staffer and arts programming producer. “As crazy as it seems,” she says, “I feel I am still telling a story, it just happens to be through chocolate.” 2629 Ashby Ave. (510) 859-7221. www.casadechocolates.com.

Jeremys

Louboutin heels and Céline loafers, Dries Van Noten silk frocks and Rick Owens leather — these are just a few of the reasons why this much-loved designer discounter draws so many fashionphiles to this hood, especially since CEO Jeremy Kidson shuttered the larger S.F. store. All the chic goodies have been consolidated in his Elmwood storefronts. Catch it while you can: He’s scouting a new location for it all in Oakland’s Uptown. 2967 College Ave. (510) 849-0701. www.jeremys.com.

Photo: Welcome Stranger

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Welcome Stranger in Oakland is located at 2633 Ashby Ave. (510) 646-8128. www.welcomestranger.com.

Welcome Stranger in Oakland is located at 2633 Ashby Ave. (510) 646-8128. www.welcomestranger.com.

Acolytes are passionate about the organic, vegan, paraben-, phthalate- and cruelty-free skin care products and fruit-pigmented cosmetics by the Bay Area brand at this, its first flagship boutique. While attending UC Berkeley, co-founder Susie Wang invented a way to stabilize natural ingredients in skin care. After learning about the harsh chemicals used in many products while working with large cosmetic companies, she decided to formulate her own pure, healthy luxury line. 2983 College Ave. (510) 548-8595. www.100percentpure.com.